January 2012
5 tags
what a crock: pulled pork sammies
holy cow pig, y’all. this weekend was the second go-round with the crock pot and boy was it a hit. we followed this recipe pretty much to a tee (or to a t? - i was just trying to figure out which it is and failed. anyone know?) so i wont rehash all the nitty gritty for you. but i will say this: make more than the recipe calls for. you will want it. double it at least. triple for good...
17 tags
day glo
i needed a backpack. so i scoured the internet checked urban outfitters to see if they had anything cute. they did! so i went to the store and the power was out. so i could not buy said backpack. so i went to forever 21 and i tried to be good you guys, really - i was determined to walk out with something out of the ordinary for me. so i went into the dressing room with a pile of...
13 tags
back in action
i feel like i’ve been a little MIA around these parts lately, but trust me, i’m still here. these are things that were happening while i was away.
{above} pretty nails courtesy of nontra’s collection. thinking i may need this top coat for myself.
not much is sexier than a cute hipster boy with a bike. i cant wait for it to warm up a little so we can ride!
it has been...
4 tags
finding inspiration
in the never-ending struggle to refine my blog, i’ve decided i need to just figure it out and do it. the starting point: inspiration. i feel like most people are probably like me and follow all their blogs on a reader, but i still want to be proud and happy when i visit my page and i want my readers to feel like its a place they want to come back to. by far, my favorite is from me to...
8 tags
wurstkuche venice
i love me a good sausage and beer. wurstkuche is perfect for that. they boast all kinds of “exotic” sausages like rattlesnake & rabbit, duck & bacon, and alligator & pork which (from what i’ve had so far) are all pretty delicious, they really just taste like sausage. worth the extra dollar more than the mango-jalepeno sausage? sure, if its your first time. but...
11 tags
a painting a week: 3/52
i’m so proud of this one. i flippin love it! i almost want to keep it for myself, but alas, it is number two in sunny’s four-part series. i’m gonna try and be better and do this weeks painting tomorrow, rather than put it off until saturday night again. but i am pretty excited that i’ve stuck to it thus far. i know its only week three, but still. i think in these three...
19 tags
a photo a day: january 15-21
1/15/12: holy cow its the middle of january already. WHAT. sunday i painted, marshall bought a bike, and i spent a couple of hours in a room with a bunch of nerds downtown, followed by enchilada night. felix approves.
1/16/12: monday was spent with nontra. i had some laundry to do and we had some hanging out to catch up on. we took a walk to get crepes, but the restaurant was closed for the...
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a painting a week: 2/52
ta da! painting week two! technically, i painted it a day late, but shh. this is number one in a 4-part series that i’m doing for miss sunny!
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a photo a day: january 8-14
1/8/12: i took a bunch of pictures today, but this one just kind of encompasses the whole day. we walked down to the farmers market cause i was craving empanadas and it was just a gorgeous day. this leaning tree made me giggle.
1/9/12: trees two days in a row! eep! today was super awesome. woke up early and got some errands done - got ink for my printer so i can start putting these photos in...
4 tags
whatta week
oh man, its been a week. i tell ya. luckily i’ve managed to stay on track with my photo a day (will post this week tomorrow) and will do my painting for the week this afternoon, but its been rough. despite the craziness, there have been bright spots that make everything okay.
{above} we got packets of tea at work with this inspiring image of blake in them. i still cant get over how...
13 tags
pajama party
if you follow me on twitter, you know that yesterday, i felt like i was wearing pjs. i didnt realize though how much i looked like i was wearing pjs until going through the photos. holy moley. lesson learned: these pants must be worn with heels. second lesson learned: only double up on cardigans with skinny jeans or leggings. i was all over the place here. live and learn, i guess.
...
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its a bad time to be a christmas tree.
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also, this.
i really just love old cars. bright and shiny, or broken down and rusted, i don’t judge. but throw in a fancy hood ornament and you better believe i’m all about it.
15 tags
american classic
we came across this beauty on the walk to the farmers market sunday morning. it was love at first sight. i went a little nuts, sorry. but - do you see this?! come on now.
also, this is my first attempt at using katie’s pencil box method of photo editing. i’m in love.
14 tags
nudist dreams
promptly after taking these photos, i declared that i wished i could be a nudist. it would be awesome. two reasons. one: i love being naked in the sunshine. there is nothing {much} better. two: i’m just so much more comfortable without clothes on. when you’re dressed, theres always elastic thats too tight, or a waistband digging in, or a scratchy fabric bugging you....
5 tags
what a crock: our first foray into pot crockery:...
i got marshall a crock pot for christmas, and for its maiden voyage, we decided beef stew would be the mission. here’s how it works:
cut 4 (ish) lbs of top round steak into bite size pieces.
heat olive oil on medium high and brown the meat. you’ll have to do it in shifts - put the browned meat into the crock pot as it is done and add more to the skillet as room opens up.
...
10 tags
a painting a week: 1/52
you guys, i’m so excited about this resolution. i’ve been wanting to paint this guy for some time now, so here it is - my first painting of 2012! Its the library on ocean park and…i wanna say 31st. i just now realized that i forgot “fairview branch” underneath “library.” oops. i’ll do that as soon as i get home and then promptly post to etsy.
5 tags
a photo a day: january 1-7
1/1/12: twenty twelve started out by living up to my every expectation: hanging out by the pool in shorts. we got a late start, so we missed the sun, but still.
1/2/12: i am the bag lady of bag ladies. i consider myself relatively low maintenance, but somehow i always have so. much. stuff. this is just what i took out of my car from the last 2 days!
1/3/12: josie and i rekindled our...
11 tags
dirty pretty things
i have a strange fascination with things that are kind of dirty, kind of falling apart, but still (in my eyes anyway) are still pretty. here’s a smattering of those dirty, pretty things i’ve noticed lately.
22 tags
la la land
i’m pretty sure i have more tops representing california or los angeles than one girl needs. but this girl loves la. why? i dont know, maybe its because it’s january third and i’m outside in a chiffon skirt and a denim jacket with the sleeves rolled up. pretty sure that has a lot to do with it. but look - leaves on the ground! see, we totally have seasons.
shirt,...
6 tags
listen to the new year's babble-on podcast here! →
14 tags
moving forward
while this guy spent a good portion of the last day of 2011 cleaning out his closet and taking a buttload of clothes to goodwill, i reached into the depths of mine for some nye inspiration. i’ve only worn this dress once before because its pretty loud and really little. i tried my best to make it a little less scandalous and more age-appropriate but still dressy and fun for our...
9 tags
resloutions
i’m not usually a big resolution maker. i usually feel like if there is a change to be made, just make it in the moment - why wait for new years? but this year i have a lot of projects i want to do and things that just need to happen, so i figured i’d write them down to keep myself accountable.
a photo a day, which should be a cinch, but i want to give it some focus so i don’t...
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the perfect light.
i caught this light by chance friday at work and it made me so happy. i just love pink sky so much.
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nye '11
this was probably the most sober, but funnest new years eve’s in recent history. usually it’s all hype and big letdown. but this year it was easy and a blast. of course, any day that starts off with chick fil a on a warm, sunny los angeles afternoon is bound to be great.
(gratuitous hollywood shot)
after lunch, we dove down to melrose so i could get the JOHNNY CUPCAKES HEY...
16 tags
#pinning
my favorite recent pins: the ideal living room; the most adorable romper; parmesean potato balls; obsession-worthy jars; a totally doable cork stamp diy.
December 2011
5 tags
good advice.
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freddy bear's
on our way home from the cheese castle, mom and i detoured a bit in the back country roads trying to find some big chickens. (mom has an affection of roadside critters and is trying to document all she can - i’m trying to get her to blog about them. ahem.)
we didn’t find the chickens, but we found freddy bear’s antique mall. they had a pretty great selection and reasonable...
6 tags
mars cheese castle
one thing i was determined to do while i was home was visit the mars cheese castle. its about an hour away from me, and i’ve driven past it a million times in my life (usually on an ikea journey) but have never stopped. and i love cheese! it just didn’t make any sense.
ha - this guy.
my beautiful mama, and me being skeptical.
they have a bar there too! with spicy bloody...
18 tags
the haul
i’m pretty sure i’m the easiest person ever to shop for. or maybe the people in my life just know me really well? maybe both ;-) (i have a four year old cousin - above is mostly his haul!)
from my secret santa: mustache clips, a camera stamp and ihop in the prettiest bag (i may frame it!) and the most adorable card ever.
a photo a day album from this guy, which i cannot wait...
22 tags
four christmases
make that five, actually, counting last night. i wasn’t able to get a ton of time off work for this visit home, so while i’m here i needed to make sure i see every extension of my crazy family and squeeze in as many traditions as possible. i am fat and exhausted, but if those are the worst of my problems, consider me one lucky girl.
top, pants, belt: jcrew
vest: borrowed...
10 tags
home for the holidays
my gramma’s house is literally a winter wonderland!
santas, snowmen and surprises around every corner!
16 tags
she's a maneater
last night i went out with my mom, gramma and some more family to a little martini bar in town. unbeknownst to us, it was karaoke night. my mom’s hubby was in heaven, as he is a karaoke master. i was indifferent at first, but two extra-dirty martinis later i was singing a different tune. hall and oates, to be exact.
coat: urban outfitters
sweater: banana republic
jeans: seven...
9 tags
all wrapped up
i love wrapping presents. i usually get super cutsey paper and go all out with ribbon curls, but this year i kept it simple.
{above} brown paper and twine for the boy.
something a little more whimsical for my secret santa.
pretty, sparkley ribbon for mom.
7 tags
toms + skullcandy
i work for an awesome company for so many reasons. the most recent being our holiday gift - custom toms + skullcandy headphones!
you should also check out this sweet giving video.
7 tags
not a california christmas
i snapped this photo on my way home from dropping off the mister at the airport wednesday night. i love me a california christmas in a tee shirt and flip flops, but there’s talk of some snow tonight here in wisconsin - which i do (begrudgingly) have to admit, makes it feel so much more festive.
20 tags
fly away home
welcome to wisconsin, folks. it. is. cold. if you follow me on twitter, you know i flew home yesterday and it was basically a nightmare. but it is good to be home with my family, despite the frigid temps. this was my airport outfit - i always have grand plans of dressing up for travel, but leggings always seem to win. easy slip on and off shoes are essential for flying, and a scarf...
9 tags
Ramen Yamadaya
nontra and i love noodle soup. ramen or pho, you name it. when the craving hits, its time to go. i noticed ramen yamadaya setting up in the neighborhood before it opened and since it has been up and running it is PACKED every time i drive by. good sign, right? so we finally made it over there and even though it was pretty late for dinner, we sill had to wait for a table. not long though, and the...
24 tags
A for effort
wouldn’t it be nice to be one of those girls who wakes up and just gets dressed? this outfit may look effortless, folks, (or not? i cant tell) but let me tell you, it was not. i am one of those girls who stands for hours in front of a packed to the gills closet in a bathrobe contemplating not leaving the house because i have nothing to wear. its a sickness i’ve been dealing...
9 tags
cafe crepe: hot apple cider
last night i had to do some last minute secret santa shopping on the promenade. everyone but me was starving, so after i found my gifts, we stopped in at cafe crepe. the crepes looked pretty delicious, but the unanimous decision was that the hot apple cider was the best decision we all could have made.
5 tags
5 tags
cookie swap'n
a round up of all the deliciousness found at nicole’s cookie swap! YUM-O!
5 tags
oreo cheesecake cookies
the other night i was invited to a cookie swap. i wanted to impress, so i decided to try something new. i found this recipe for oreo cheesecake cookies on pinterest and it looked amazing.
in a large bowl, mix together 1/2 c butter and 3 oz cream cheese until smooth. add 1 c sugar and 1 tsp vanilla extract and mix. slowly combine in 1 c flour and stir in 1/2 c chocolate chips.
crumble up...
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the sky, recently.
i just love it.
5 tags
clam chowder & oyster crackers
around this time of year, i always crave clam chowder. seeing as i have yet to find a place in la with a chowder worth coming back for, we decided to make our own. along with it - oyster crackers! my mom always makes them around christmas and they are like crack.
for the crackers: combine 1 package hidden valley ranch dressing mix, 1/2 tsp dill, 3/4 c vegetable oil.
drizzle over 1...
25 tags
secret santa
you know the awesome thing about the internet? you can post things like wish lists just because you’re looking for something to blog about, not expecting anything to come from it and then BOOM! people know what you want! which is how i ended up with this amazing coat as an early christmas present from a secret santa. i plan on wearing the shit out of this baby, so expect to...
9 tags
downtowner motor inn
holy cow it has been forever since i’ve painted anything. until i was faced with the dilemma of a wedding gift for one of my best girls. i couldn’t think of anything that would be appropriate for the couple that i could afford, so i figured i would make them something! then i remembered the scene of their budding romance was a dorm at college which back in the day was a motel with...
letti225 asked: I just wanna compliment you on your blog! I can spend hours just browsing through all of your posts! I live in orange county and your blog just makes me wanna head north on the 405!
18 tags
disney lights
let me tell you, having friends that work for disney is freakin awesome. i got to go to the holiday party on tuesday night, which just means they shut the park down for employees and their friends and family, which ultimately means NO LINES!
it was fuh-reezing, and i did not dress even remotely appropriate for the weather, but it really doesn’t matter when you’re walking around...
15 tags
mel's drive-in
los angeles may not have as many recognizable landmarks to the outside as new york does, but one thing it has plenty of is local institutions. mel’s drive-in is one. there are a few locations scattered throughout the city, and its the kind of place you could just sit for hours, drinking coffee with friends, playing songs on the jukebox and chowing down on some delicious food.
(ps - i...